England to host All Blacks in 2018 autumn internationals

(Reuters) - England will face world champions New Zealand in November 2018 for the first time in four years, the Rugby Football Union said on Wednesday while announcing the fixtures for next year’s four-match autumn series.

Eddie Jones’s England will host four test matches at Twickenham, kicking off their campaign against South Africa on Nov. 3 next year.

Seven days later, England face the All Blacks for the first time since losing four matches in 2014. England’s last victory over them came in 2012.

Following the clash against the All Blacks, the side will host Japan, who will play only their second test against England.

The only previous meeting between the two sides was at the inaugural World Cup in 1987 when England claimed a 60-7 win over the Brave Blossoms in Sydney.

England will end their series against Australia (Nov. 24), who have lost their last four matches against Jones’ side.

“The 2018... Series is incredibly important for England as we build towards the Rugby World Cup in 2019,” Jones said in a statement.

“We want to win that series 4-0 and we will need to play extremely well to beat four very good teams over a four-week period.”